The MC had projected a collection of Rs 402.05 crore through various means, including water bill collection, booking of community centres, allotment of parking lots, interest of fixed deposits (FDs), receipt of profits from two fuel stations owned by MC, during 2020-21. (Representational)
Talk of development of the Barwala area of Panchkula which had been listed by HUDA (now HSVP) as one of the areas to be developed as Panchkula extension back in 2007, have resurfaced in the district. A meeting in this regard was held between a District Level Committee and District Town and Planning Committee recently. It was chaired by Haryana Assembly Speaker and Panchkula MLA, Gian Chand Gupta. As per a press statement issued by the administration, The Draft Development Plan 2040 for Barwala was discussed.
As many as 24 new areas, falling on the Panchkula-Barwala highway, had been identified for expansion in 2007, under the extension plan of Panchkula. This project was to be developed as a new “Kot Billah-Alipur integrated township” and was supposed to be spread in an area of 6,767 acres.
The plan had included a township comprising of the then periphery areas which fell on both sides of the highway. “The land was to be developed for approximately 2,73,700 people. The proposed land use includes 42,300 acres in Alipur and 5,509 acres of Kot Billah,” a senior HUDA official had told The Indian Express, in 2009. The extension on the Panchkula-Barwala highway is supposed to cover areas of land of nine villages including Bataud, Barwala, Bhagwanpur, Bhareli, Jalauli, Kami, Rehad, Sultanpur, and Sundarpur.
Stressing specifically on Barwala, Gupta said, “the development will take place in a way to provide the basic facilities when the population of Barwala is about 45,000 in 2040.” He added said that he wants to develop Barwala as a model town on the lines of Mohali and has further suggested that different sites for small scale industries should be prepared.
A special care of not constructing movement and traffic of the National Highway while the development works begin has also been cautioned. A green belt around village industries will also be made under this project.
Apart from this, provisions for zones like dairy, solid waste management, cow shed, dhaba zone, motor market, petrol pump et al will also be made. Bicycle tracks along the forest area and roads along the Tangri river will be pre planned and provisions will also be made for a separate tunnel along the roads which houses electricity wires, water pipes, sewerage pipes, gas supply.
The township planned in 2007 had considered all significant points like sufficient parking lots, green belts et al. An area of 647 acres had also been proposed for parks, green belts, crematories, fuel filling stations and water bodies. For better movement of traffic and connectivity to areas in the township, it was to construct several flyovers on the highway.
The township had been planned to cater to the demand for land and check haphazard growth along the highway and on the outskirts, which the delay has been unable to prevent.